AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Souders Financial Advisors

Souders Financial Advisors lowered its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 94.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,615 shares of the company’s stock after selling 45,059 shares during the quarter. Souders Financial Advisors’ holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $204,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 5.8% during the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,403,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $265,458,000 after buying an additional 186,010 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter valued at $204,000. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter worth $332,000. Truist Financial Corp increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 250,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,535,000 after purchasing an additional 11,074 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 4.5% in the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,330,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.0 %

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $78.67 on Wednesday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $243.92 billion, a PE ratio of 38.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.47. The business’s 50 day moving average is $81.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.26.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $12.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.62 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.11% and a return on equity of 29.34%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.05 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Barclays raised AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Citigroup upgraded AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Profile

AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company's marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology.